The ultimate mobile gaming system

[FishTankX]

Instead of creating laptops or SFF PC's exclusivley for gaming, they could create a new formfactor, maybe the size of a CD-ROM (Or a little bigger, if space demanded) which would contain a Pentium-M 1.5GHZ and a Radeon mobility 9600 which could share a heatsink. This would be good enough for current generation games, and produce so little heat that a small 40MM fan would probably be enough to cool the entire works. Add in an onboard Audigy 2 and you're good to go. You could just drop in 512MB of DDR400 and a 1.8inch 20GB HD, or a faster notebook harddrive, if space allowed.

The whole works wouldn't draw more than 40 watts. (RAM, 10 watts. HD 5 watts. CPU 10 watts. GPU 6-7 watts. Sound probably a few watts. North bridge 3-4 watts.). You could probably have an external clip on monitor, that would attach to the VGA port and power jack for the external monitor (Somewhere ontop so that you could snap it in) and the powersupply could most likely be external. Have a power jack on the side that could accept DC or AC and then offer a clip on battery.

What would you all think of such a system?

 

[Wolfsraider]

sweet, but the power chips sony will be using might be stiff comptition


mike

 

[FishTankX]

I'm takling about something P.C. Compatible. Something that would be able to travel to LAN parties.

With a gameboyish system, you could school everything on the market with a 400MHZ centrino and a half speed Radeon 9600 mobility.. seeing that you would only have to render at 640X480. That would still eat batteries too fast, though. Even if the system ate one watt, a AA battery would still be gone in just 2 hours. So there's a huge gearing towards skimping on RAM and CPU and other power eating components, and the over all powerconsumption of chips in general.

 

[bobbyjosh]

Sounds like all too much is missing. what about mouse support or would it use console like controllers? Most of the stuff on a laptop motherboard is there for a reason. Really it sounds like that's exactly what you are talking about... a laptop. To have a display, means more components on the motherboard. To have controller suport/mouse support... means more componenets on the motherboard. 20GB HD... doesn't sound like much unless you are going the route of the Xbox where most of the gaming information is read from a disc. In which case I think you could take a few pointers from that system alone. Look how big it is... and that doesn't include an attached LCD screen, has only 64MBs of RAM... and uses more than 100 watts of power. Just doesn't sound like your 'Ultimate mobile Gaming System' is going to be out anytime soon. If something that powerful and that small could be made... don't you think something that small with even a third of the power would be out already?

And now I see it looks like your wanting to go something the way of a gameboy where everything, even the conroller is all built into one device. Even so... Doesn't sound like it will be here anytime soon... I mean... a fan on a mobile gaming system? Now that would take some thought right there.... "hmmm... where should we put the air intakes and where should the fan blow out this warm air?" Sounds to me like little kids could get something that doesn't need to be inside this device inside. Plus I just can't think of a gaming system that's suppose to be portable using AA batteries having to have a fan on it.

 

[FishTankX]

Originally posted by: bobbyjosh
Sounds like all too much is missing. what about mouse support or would it use console like controllers? Most of the stuff on a laptop motherboard is there for a reason. Really it sounds like that's exactly what you are talking about... a laptop. To have a display, means more components on the motherboard. To have controller suport/mouse support... means more componenets on the motherboard. 20GB HD... doesn't sound like much unless you are going the route of the Xbox where most of the gaming information is read from a disc. In which case I think you could take a few pointers from that system alone. Look how big it is... and that doesn't include an attached LCD screen, has only 64MBs of RAM... and uses more than 100 watts of power. Just doesn't sound like your 'Ultimate mobile Gaming System' is going to be out anytime soon. If something that powerful and that small could be made... don't you think something that small with even a third of the power would be out already?

The reason why modern systems are so massive can be atributed to the presence of an internal battery/DC converters (Huge issue) for all the internal voltage rails.. expansion ports, and a keyboard, as well as massive cooling (Which my system wouldn't be exempt from, by any means. But without the internal powersupply you could get away with much less cooling).

Anyways, about the power issue. If you kept the power on the outside and had a massive powerjack with all of the voltage rails (like an ATX powersupply jack on the outside) you could avoid the powersupply. Which, to me, seems to be a massive component in most notebooks. Along with the keyboard.

I admit, the external powersupply would probably be atleast half the size of the system itself, but it would definatley increase the 'Cool factor' of the system.

For keyboard and mouse you could simply use USB/PS2. That wouldn't increase the size of the system, at all.

Im' thinking the best use of a system such as mine would be a toatable system to bring around. To lan parties, a friend's house, etc..

It would be even better with internal Wi-fi. Imagine a score of these guys in a room playing on a wireless network. *drool*

Anyways, why would you need more than 20GB of HD space, for gaming?

 

[FishTankX]

Ack! Just forgot about the CD-ROM.

Looks like a system like this would be entirely dependent on CD-ROM emulators like virtual drive and stuff. Maybe a slimline CD-ROM on top as a snap-on might suffice, though.

 

[bobbyjosh]

I don't know man... I can't see this thing being as small as you may like it to be. If you do the external power supply like most laptops... sure that would get rid of some of the heat... but to have all the features you'd really want it would have to be at least the size of a PS2. Which totally takes it away from the small enough for a portable in hand system. There's no way I would play a system that big having to hold it up with my hands... Which means it would sit on a desk or something while you play which means you might as well make it a laptop or a console. If this system is strictly for gaming then I can see a lot of complaints like those made upon the Xbox... "it's a computer that has been disabled to do everything but play games and music." To really get something going with LAN games you'd have to have some sort of Networking cababilities which means IR which really doesn't sound right for the situation... lol, some sort of proprietary linking cables and hubs, or wireless. I don't know... I'm just trying to think of it with all things I've seen tried and done before in the past.... Anything with enough power to do a good job with 3D is going to use at least 50 watts total so My guess is AA batteries or anything like such is out of the question. Just seems like it wouldn't work out.

 

[FishTankX]

Eh, maybe you misunderstood the purpose of this 'Rig'.

The purpose, is not to be a game console. It's to be a full fledged (Running WindowsXP) gaming centric mobile computer, capable of linking with external monitor, keyboard, mouse.. etc..

The reason for it's small formfactor would be so that you could bring it to other places without the bulk and weight of a typical laptop. Something you could just throw in your bag. Keep a keyboard and mouse and monitor at each 'Site', (Work, home, friends house, etc..) and you're all set.

Now that I think about it, a keyboard and mouse would be a real drag.. might as well build a notebook.. grr..


My basic concept was an extremley condensed SFF P.C.

 

[bobbyjosh]

You're right I didn't understand... You started all this with a system the size of a cdrom or a little bigger... a pentium 1.5 and mobility 9600 and a fan for both. I looked at that first with ummm... NOOO! My first thoughts at that point was okay... where's the data for the games coming from... It would have to be at least two CDROM sizes. But then you went on to say something about 512MBs of RAM 20GB Hard drive... "okay this guy has lost it... and he wants it to be the size of a cdrom?" External clip on monitor?

But then you seemed like you were eyeing something more on the lines of a hand held in your next reply... "With a gameboyish system" Now I'm thinking how is this gameboy like systme gonna be a cdrom size machine if it is going to have a 20GB hard drive... 512MBs or RAM... a 1.5GHz cpu... I mean I have an MP3 player that has 16MBs of RAM, 20GB Hard drive and a small LCD screen and it's the size of a cdrom drive. and he wants to throw in a gpu, cpu that both require cooling? And you went on to say it would kill AA batteries in less than two hours... Psha... as if a few AA batteries would power this device.

Then by your third reply you went to wanting a keyboard and mouse... and I was back to where I started... Um... how bout a laptop?

ONLY thing I can see you doing is maybe making the 'tower' part of a computer as small as what a laptop would need to hold all the components in... basically a laptop without an LCD screen, without a built on keyboard (might shave off a little to the overall size). and then using that to hook up to a monitor, keyboard, and mouse. But me personally... I wouldn't consider such an item over a full fledged laptop which contains those parts and barely takes up much more room.

 

[FishTankX]

Yes, until you consider such a device could possibly cost sub 800$ minus monitor..

 

[FishTankX]

As I said, this would primarily be a truly portable SFF system, like a shuttle. And those have their uses. It could replace the desktop replacement, without the cost ascosciated with building it to the notebook spec.

 

[FishTankX]

*AND* it could game. *grin*